More Than Books

Join our Graphic Novel Discussion Group!

Do you love comics? Have you ever loved comics? Would you like to learn
more about the world of comics and graphic novels? If you answered "Yes!"
to any of these questions, then we need you at the next meeting of the
Comics Decoded Book Club!

We will meet on the third Monday of each month to discuss a title or topic,
the latest news from the world of comics, new releases, and forthcoming
additions to the library collection.

Whether you've been collecting comics since the 60s or have just read
your first graphic novel, this is the book club for you!

Upcoming Discussions:

Previous Discussions:

May 17, 2010
Graphic Novel Anthologies
Local author/illustrator Jim Rugg (Plain Janes, Afrodisiac, Street
Angel) joined us for this month's discussion.Reading Suggestions:Popgun, An Anthology of Graphic
Fiction, Cartoons, & True Stories edited by Ivan Brunetti; The
Best American Comics; and Project, Superior edited by Chris
Pitzer.

June 21, 2010
Indie Comics
Bill Boichel from Copacetic Comics Company joined us for this month's
discussion. Reading suggestions:Love & Rockets by Jamie,
Gilbert, and Mario Hernandez; Blankets by Craig Thompson; Stitches
by David Small, I Killed Adolf Hitler by Jason; Epileptic
by David B.; and Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel.

July 19, 2010
Legendary Artists
Folks from local comics/art/music/literary publisher Unicorn Mountain
joined us for this month's discussion.Reading suggestions:Unicorn Mountain, Volumes 1
& 2; Wolfman's Got Nards—A Compendium of New American Monsters;
Marvel Vissionaries: Jack Kirby; The Great Comic Book Artists
by Ron Goulart; How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way by Stan Lee
and John Buscema; The Complete Crumb by R. Crumb; Supermen!:
The First Wave of Comic Book Heroes, 1936-41 edited by Greg Sadowski.

August 16, 2010
European Graphic Novels Reading suggestions:Low Moon by Jason; The
Adventures of TinTin by Georges Rémi; Dixie Road by Dufaux;
Rodrigo by Hermann; Stripburek: Comics from the Other Europe.

November 15, 2010
Eisner Awards
Special guest 2010 Eisner award nominee Dave Wachter (Guns of Shadow
Valley) joined us for this month's discussion. Reading suggestions:Acme Novelty Library by
Chris Ware; The Goon by Eric Powell; Fables by Bill Willingham;
From Hell by Alan Moore; Age of Bronze by Eric Shanower.

January 24, 2011
Open Discussion.

February 21, 2011Bodyworld and the work of Dash Shaw
We discussed the work of young comics dynamo Dash Shaw this month. Check
out his work online or order a copy through the library catalog!Reading Suggestions:Bodyworld, Bottomless
Belly Button, Mother's Mouth, Unclothed Man in the 35th
Century A.D., and more at http://www.dashshaw.com/bodyworld.html
& http://www.ruinedcast.com/

March 21, 2011
Shawn Atkins and Nick Marino - Using Every Piece of the Cow<
Shawn and Nick talked about their independent comics -- Time
Log, Explorers
of the Unknown, Super
Haters, and more -- explaining what it means to utilize every
resource available to create and promote their work, from collaboration
to digital to print (and all things in between). Plus, they let attendees
have a glimpse into their production process and gave away some brand-spanking-new
comics!

July 18, 2011Guest Speaker Daniel McCloskey of the Cyberpunk Apocalypse
Daniel McCloskey started drawing comics because the novel he was writing
needed them, and then he just kept going. He talked about the process
of writing the novel/graphic novel hybrid, what comic projects he's
involved in now, and a little background including short animations
he made in junior high school that rip off Jhonen Vasquez pretty bad.
He also talked about living and working at the Cyberpunk Apocalypse
(that always seems to come up).

August 15, 2011Guest Speaker: Howard Shapiro
Howard Shapiro is the author of four children's books as well as the
forthcoming graphic novel The Stereotypical Freaks (Sea Lion
Books). Shapiro is new to the graphic medium and talked about the creative
experience as well as the struggles he experienced on the road from
inception to publication.

September 19, 2011Guest Speaker: Howard Shapiro
Howard Shapiro is the author of four children's books as well as the
forthcoming graphic novel The Stereotypical Freaks (Sea Lion
Books). Shapiro is new to the graphic medium and talked about the creative
experience as well as the struggles he experienced on the road from
inception to publication.

October 17, 2011
The Next Step: Help Us Plan the Future of Out of the Gutter
Out of the Gutter has been meeting for a year and a half. We've enjoyed
lively discussions about graphic novels famous and obscure, enlightening
lectures from talented comics creators, and made connections with the
local comics scene. Now, we're turning it over to you! Future meetings
will be run by attendees. What do you want from Out of the Gutter? Comics
discussions? Guest speakers? Creative drawing and writing time? Please
join us for October's meeting to discuss how we'll make Out of the Gutter
a reflection of Pittsburgh's vibrant comics community. If you are interested
in getting involved, e-mail wittigc@carnegielibrary.org or simply attend
the meeting October 17.

November 21, 2011
This month we discussed Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli.
Also, members brought suggestions for future graphic novels they wanted
the group to discuss.

February 17, 2014
March, Book 1
by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin
Congressman Lewis, a key figure in the civil rights movement, chronicles
his life and work in the struggle for equality.

March 17, 2014
Marble Season
by Gilbert Hernandez
From the co-creator of Love and Rockets we get a semi-autobiographical
boyhood tale of friendships, brothers, action figures, trading cards
and comic books in 1960s suburban California.

April 21, 2014
Hawkeye, Vol. 1
by Matt Fraction, David Aja, and Javier Pulido
What does the Avenger with the bow and arrows do when he's not being
an Avenger?

May 19, 2014
Hip Hop Family Tree
by Ed Piskor
The local cartoonist schools us on the formative years of the music
and its legendary artists.

June 16, 2014
Sunny
by Taiyo Matsumoto
Children and teens in a Japanese orphanage escape their melancholy lives
by dreaming and bonding in a broken-down Nissan.

August 18, 2014
Building Stories
by Chris Ware
Voted a best book of the year by the New York Times, this story of life,
love, and a woman's past, present and future is told through a collection
of 14 comic strips of varying shapes and sizes.

September 15, 2014
Wonder Woman, Vol. 1: Blood
by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang
DC's New 52 takes the Amazon princess in a bold new direction as secrets
of her true parentage are revealed and ancient enemies emerge!

November 17, 2014
The Harlem Hellfighters
by Max Brooks and Caanan White
This highly decorated black infantry unit logged more hours in combat
than any other American unit in World War I and still faced discrimination
at home. From Harlem to France, their heroic story is brought to life
by the author of World War Z.

December 15, 2014
Captain America, Vol. 1: Castaway in Dimension Z
by Rick Remender and John Romita Jr.
The star-spangled Avenger has been thrust into an inhospitable dimension.
Can he survive long enough to save the son of the man who put him there
and find a way home?

January 26, 2015 - Please note the date change due to the holiday!
Saga, Vol. 1
by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
In this critically-acclaimed sci-fi fantasy epic, two soldiers from
opposing sides of a galactic war dare to fall in love and start a family.